July 7, 2025 - Packing with Purpose: What My Daughter and I Are Really Getting Ready For

July 7, 2025 - Packing with Purpose: What My Daughter and I Are Really Getting Ready For

Under the pine tree this morning, I sat still.

The air was calm, the light soft—but something inside me stirred.

I didn’t just think about Bella’s checklist.

I saw it.

In my mind’s eye, I watched her unpack her backpack—laying out the things that didn’t need to go. I saw her line up her bowling balls on the floor, inspecting each one. Checking serial numbers. Running her fingers across the weight labels. I saw her repack only what mattered, organizing everything with care and intention.

And then I saw myself.

Doing the same thing.

Only instead of bowling gear, I was packing cameras.

Cables. Batteries. Mics. Journals.

All the tools I use to capture this journey.

That’s when it hit me.

We’re both packing for something more than a trip.

We’re packing for purpose.

Different missions.

Same mindset.

Bella is heading into Junior Gold as last year’s champion—now in a new age division, new season, new pressure. And I’m not just along for the ride. I’m here to document it, to carry the unseen weight. To prepare the way.

But the real story—the one that caught me off guard—isn’t about a tournament.

It’s about alignment.

It’s about walking out a legacy—together.

I used to think being a father meant helping.

Now I understand it means modeling.

It means showing how to pack light but live full.

How to do things right—the first time.

How to prepare, not react.

How to live with intention, even when no one’s watching.

And this morning, I realized something sacred:

We are both doing the same thing—

Choosing what to carry, and what to leave behind.

We’re not just getting ready for competition.

We’re getting ready for our calling.

And that changes everything.